Three Seemingly Innocent Items that Cause Clogs

An unexpected clog in your drain can be a real detriment to any plans you’ve made. Your day can go from peachy to a nightmare in just a few moments, and depending on the severity of the clog you may have to wait for the plumbers to remove the clog and restore your plumbing to working order. The timing of clogs can be very inconvenient, especially around the holidays or other special occasions, but regardless of when they happen, clogs are always annoying. Some clogs are caused by obvious items, like diapers, wipes, or food items, but there are a few items that create blockage that you’d never expect.

Fats and Oils

Fats and oils may seem safe to pour down the drain because they are liquid, but they can still contribute to clogs. The problem is that fat is not always liquid, and once it cools down in your drain it can become thick and create blockage. The next time you finish frying with oil or grease, instead of rinsing it down the drain pour it into a bottle to reuse or dispose of properly. Also, motor oil shouldn’t be put down your drain, poured in the gutter, or even thrown away in the garbage. Check your area for auto parts shops that will dispose of your motor oil for free.

Hair

Hair is an inconspicuous cause of clogs because most of the time, we don’t even realize it’s being washed away. When we wash our hair, some of the hair fall out and can get caught in the drain. The hair creates a sort of filter that catches any other debris washed down the drain, and eventually you have a complete blockage. For the unavoidable hair, you can use a hair/food strainer found at most stores.

Paper Towels

You can flush toilet paper, but flushing paper towels, wipes, or napkins will contribute to clogs. Toilet paper is made specifically to disintegrate when it comes into contact with water, and those other products are not. In fact, paper towels are specifically engineered not to tear apart when soaked in water. Just because it’s white and used to wipe up messes does not mean it is as safe to flush as toilet paper. It usually isn’t too much of a hassle to take a few steps to drop these items in a trash can.